A flight heading from Taiwan to Singapore never managed to leave the ground after a power bank burst into flames as the aircraft taxied towards the runway.
As The Register reports(Opens in a new window), one passenger was quick enough to pull out their phone and record the incident as the video included below shows. The power bank initially burns brightly and then fills the cabin with smoke after the cabin crew takes measures to extinguish it and stop any further damage to the aircraft. Two passengers apparently suffered minor injuries from the combustion and subsequent smoke they breathed in.
In total, 187 passengers were onboard flight TR993 during the incident. They were later asked if they still wished to fly, but ultimately the Taiwan Transportation Security Board decided to cancel the flight.
Typically, portable batteries only fail catastrophically like this after they have suffered damage that pierces the battery casing, or the battery inside has swollen. It’s unclear exactly what caused this power bank battery to fail so spectacularly, but at least it did so before the aircraft was flying.
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Most of the devices we choose to take on flights now contain a lithium-ion battery. Laptops, e-readers, smartphones, and portable gaming devices are all popular forms of in-flight entertainment, and so are the power banks that allow them to be recharged without need of a power outlet. Inevitably, incidents such as this are going to happen occasionally and will continue to do so until we shift to new battery technology that isn’t prone to such catastrophic and dangerous failures.
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